A Christmas eve dinner in Denmark isn’t complete without a roast duck or goose. Roasted duck stuffed apples, onions, and prunes is something special and it’s no wonder it is the most popular dish among Danes on Christmas Eve, where its consumed by an estimated three out of four Danes on December 24.

Andesteg- Danish Roasted Christmas Duck

Roast duck or goose is the standard centerpiece for a Christmas eve dinner in Denmark. This is how to traditionally prepare this wonderful roast duck to serve next to Rodkal (sweet & sour red cabbage) and Brunede Kartofler (caramel potatoes).

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Course: Brunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Denmark, North Western European, Scandanavian

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 3 30

Total Time: 4

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Large roasting pan
Roasting rack
Metal needles or thread for closing duck openings
Instant read thermometer (optional)

Ingredients

2 large Duck (2×3.5 to 5 lb each, or 1×7 lb)
4 large Baking apples, like Granny Smith
2 medium Red onions
30 medium Prunes, pitted
1 tbsp Dried thyme (or a couple of sprigs fresh thyme)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
8 cups Water
2 tbsp Kosher salt

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Prep

Cut apples, onions, and prunes into large dice. Trim excess fat and skin from the duck and fry it over medium heat with the apple, prunes, onions, thyme, salt and pepper. Fry for a few minutes until softened.
Clean the duck by removing the giblets and wing tips and adding them to a large roasting pan. Rinse the ducks inside and out, then pat dry with paper towels. Rub inside and out with salt. Pour water into roasting pan and set on the rack just below underneath the rack you'll be roasting the duck on. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Stuff Duck

Stuff the duck's cavity with the cooked onion/prune/apple mixture. Sew cavity closed to keep the stuffing from falling out.

Roast Duck

Place duck, back-side up, on a roasting rack or straight on the grid of the oven's rack and just above the roasting pan with water so that the fat from the roasting duck is caught by the pan below it.
Roast the duck for 30 minutes per pound without circulating air (convection) so as to not dry the duck out. When half the cook time is done, turn the duck breast side-up and sprinkle with salt to help crisp the skin. Cook until duck is done, 165° reading in thigh and the legs are loose and can be pulled off easily. To crisp skin further, turn heat to broil and cook a few minutes watching closely so as not to burn.
Serve sliced on a serving platter with the stuffing scattered around.